New advances in the management of anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and associated with significant symptomatic distress, increased morbidity, and increased mortality. Although efficacious pharmacologic and psychosocial therapies for the anxiety disorders are available, many patients who improve with treatment remain at least somewhat symptomatic. This article reviews the epidemiology, phenomenology, and associated complications of panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Recent guidelines developed for application in the assessment of outcome of the anxiety disorders are discussed, and illustrative data from a number of treatment trials integrating remission data in assessment of outcome are examined.